Jesus Revealed In The Revelation #18

Rev. 19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Here we see Jesus revealed as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is both King and Lord. No position can exist higher than those two positions, and Jesus deserves both positions, and no one else does.

King of Kings. Jesus is King of the kings of the earth, and scripture has much to say about the kings of the earth. First, they set themselves against the God of Heaven and his anointed (Christ). Psalm 2:2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us (see also Acts 4:26). This is the state of mind of the kings of the earth. These are the rulers of the world. In the main they do not accept the wisdom of God through scripture, but they set themselves upon all types of philosophy and sociology, and even science, to prosper in the world. They want and think they need to associate with other rulers of the earth, so they disdain and ignore the wisdom of God. Many nations were once built upon the principles in God's word but are now turning from those principles to the wisdom of men. Our own country has been doing this for many years. But notice what the Lord thinks of this: Psalm 2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. Notice God has set his king upon Mount Zion, and he reigns from above. This is Jesus.

Second, when compared to the kings of the earth, he is the prince. Rev. 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood. He is the head, the commander, this magistrate of the kings of the earth. The kings of the earth can do nothing without his permission.

Third, the kings of the earth, along with the great men, the rich men, and the chief captains will hide themselves in the rocks and dens due to that which is coming on the kings of the earth because of their sin and their rejection of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the King (Rev. 6:15).

Fourth, the kings of the earth will one day behold the glory of the Lord as they fear him. Psalm 102:15 So the heathen shall fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth thy glory. Notice Psalm 138:4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth. The glory of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, is nothing compared to that of our Lord in his kingdom. Even the glories of the kingdom of Solomon are nothing to be compared to our Lord's glory as the King of kings.

But not all of the kings of the earth will so turn from the Lord and his Christ. Some will come to know and trust Jesus Christ and be in his glorious kingdom. Rev. 21:24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. However, they will no longer be kings of the earth, but they will be children and servants of the great King of kings. I am reminded of Queen Elizabeth who was asked what she was thankful for. She said, "I am thankful for the letter 'm'." When asked why, she said the Bible says that "not many noble are called." It does not say "not any noble are called."

The most glorious thing about Jesus' kingship is that he is King of saints. Notice Rev. 15:3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. He rules our salvation; he rules our lives; and he is the Great King who will take us to be where he is. This is a marvelous thing!

Lord of Lords. Moses, I think, put it best when he said in Deut. 10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: Jesus is Lord because of his nature. He exists to be Lord of all (Acts 10:36; Gal. 4:1).

Many today are preaching the "Lordship of Christ," in salvation. In other words, one must make Jesus his Lord in order to be saved. This, however, is not the Gospel concept. Jesus is already Lord, else Saul would never have said, "Lord, what wilt thou have me do?" Jesus was already his Lord. As Lord, Jesus commands that every man everywhere repent, Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: This declares his Lordship. He does not wait until a person believes to become his Lord; Jesus is already and always Lord of all.

There are gods many and lords many, 1 Cor. 8:5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) . . . but there is only one real Lord, Deut. 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: Notice also 1 Cor. 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. He is the only Potentate, 1 Tim. 6:15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; This is the reason that we as pastors cannot be lords over God's heritage (1 Peter 5:3), but we must be examples to the flock of God. Only Jesus is Lord, not people who think they are smarter than God, arrogant and proud in their own flesh. We must submit completely to his Lordship and his Kingship. He is both King and Lord. Let us submit to that and live as his humble servants, for we are his children, and he loves us with an everlasting love. His commandments are not grievous (1 John 5:3).